I read that the handguards can be a pain to remove from our 450 BM's. So all week long since I ordered my new handguard, I've been putting some PB Blaster on the treads daily in anticipation to needing to remove the factory handguard.

I started the project this morning. The lock nut for the handguard actually came loose without much fuss. However after hours of not getting the dang handguard to budge (yes I used heat also), I finally had the bright idea of removing the gas block and gas tube first and maybe the entire barrel nut would come off (since I would need to replace the barrel nut anyways).

That ended up working for me! This may help any of you other gents out there that cannot get the factory handguard removed.

Unfortunately, I'll never be able to reuse this handguard now if I ever wanted to. It's fairly chewed up by this point.

I don't know if Bushmaster uses Red Loctite of some other epoxy, but I just wanted to thank them real quick.

Well after the handguard install today, I think I finally have my 450BM where I want it. In the last few weeks I've built a dedicated lower for it, did a trigger job myself (3.5lbs and no pre-travel), Magpul STR stock (not sure I'm a fan of it yet), Ross muzzle brake (huge fan of this though), Limbsaver recoil pad, got a spare Bartz 7 round magazine and put a single feed follower into a 30 round magazine, polished magazine lips (this definitely helped feeding), installed a charging handle extension, and today installed a 15 inch free floated handguard.

It's pretty much exactly how I wanted it. Not 100% sure if I'll be keeping the Magpul STR stock on this; I may switch with another AR to see. Also I thought I would love having an extension on the charging handle. But I'm not sure. I'm going to live with it for a while and see if I do like it. I find myself still grabbing the charging handle on both sides like I always have anyways.

I have quite a bit of spare FDE, OD Green, Flat gray, and desert tan Duracoat laying around from other projects. There's a chance the 450BM upper, lower, and handguard may get a coat of something, because I will be using this for hunting. But right now, I'm kind of done tickering with this one. Might shoot it for a while and decided later. Either way I'll have to tone down that shine of the muzzle brake.

So, does that handguard also make "Delicious Juliennes" ? At least it will be easy to hang up on a nail. J/K

I would raise Cain with Bushmaster for all the bother you had to go through with that handguard. At least you could get in behind it with a barrel nut wrench. I once had a handguard with an integral barrel nut and you had to come at it from behind also. You've earned some range time. Don't paint it just yet. Perforate some targets for a while and get to know it better. They're sensitive to that you know. I love my CH extension, though I opted for a different form factor than yours. I was initially concerned that it would hang up on stuff but it hasn't yet.Mine is an early variant that looks like this:

I look forward to reading about your experiences your Thumper.

Hoot

In Theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In Practice, there is.

Hoot wrote:So, does that handguard also make "Delicious Juliennes" ? At least it will be easy to hang up on a nail. J/K

I would raise Cain with Bushmaster for all the bother you had to go through with that handguard. At least you could get in behind it with a barrel nut wrench. I once had a handguard with an integral barrel nut and you had to come at it from behind also. You've earned some range time. Don't paint it just yet. Perforate some targets for a while and get to know it better. They're sensitive to that you know. I love my CH extension, though I opted for a different form factor than yours. I was initially concerned that it would hang up on stuff but it hasn't yet.Mine is an early variant that looks like this:

I look forward to reading about your experiences your Thumper.

Hoot

Thanks Hoot! I didn't even use a barrel but wrench. The handguard was attached so tight the barrel nut came off with me turning the handguard with a 24in pipe wrench. That why I also mentioned I won't be able to use the handguard on anything again, it has some battle scars at this point. Any leather "backer" I tried to use to protect it eventually mangled. I had to use the huge pipe wrench directly on the handguard. Factory handguard and barrel are forever joined.

Pig_Popper wrote:I've had luck with pouring boiling water on the handguard (as opposed to a torch) and it working to loosen the handguards.

I also use the rubber grip gloves to twist if a strap wrench isn't handy.

breaking loc-tite is what prompted me to get my strap wrench. i thought i was gonna spin the barrel nut on my 450 before it broke loose, but thankfully it didn't go there.

i did recently score a samson evoloution 12", but i'm not sure if they 204 or the 450 will get it yet, although i'm leaning towards my .204 as it could use to go on a diet the worst at this point. a 24" bull barrel is cool, until you strap a 8" can on the front and then it really starts to get nose heavy

Guys, Hit the offending screw head with the biggest soldering iron in your arsenal - the heat will travel down the bolt shaft and soften any kind of thread Ockey-puckey.No need to fear red, blue, green or purple....

Rocketrob wrote:Guys, Hit the offending screw head with the biggest soldering iron in your arsenal - the heat will travel down the bolt shaft and soften any kind of thread Ockey-puckey.No need to fear red, blue, green or purple....

I've done that to loosen screws though in theory (see sig) the screw would expand before the heat migrated to the area around the hole and equalized, making its fit even tighter. Now if you flooded it with a penetrant, again in theory, it would wick in a little as the screw cooled and contracted. FWIW, any postulation that has the expression "in theory" twice in it is always suspect, so there you go.

Hoot

In Theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In Practice, there is.